Disruption caused by thick fog is expected to continue at Gatwick Airport until the end of the day on Sunday, the airport’s busiest day of the holiday period.
Nats, the UK’s main air traffic control provider, said temporary air restrictions were in place for the remainder of the day because of low visibility in airfields affected by fog.
One of the airport’s largest airline operators, easyJet, said on Sunday afternoon that a number of flights had been delayed or cancelled due to the knock on impact of delays caused by the weather.
Heathrow, Stanstead and Luton Airports said flights had not been affected by the weather.
It follows two days of disruption at the UK’s busiest airports, with Saturday’s flights at Stansted Airport affected by the murky conditions, while live departure boards showed delays at Heathrow, Luton, Gatwick and Manchester Airports.
On Sunday morning, a spokesman for Gatwick said temporary air traffic restrictions remained in place because of poor visibility caused by fog and warned that some flights may be delayed throughout the day.
Some 769 flights are planned at the West Sussex airport on Sunday, making it the busiest day of the Christmas holiday period.
Passengers have been urged to contact their airlines for updated information.
A Nats spokesman said: “While the weather conditions have improved, fog continues to affect some airports in London today.
“Temporary air traffic restrictions are therefore in place at airfields with low visibility to maintain safety.
“Our teams are working closely with the airports and airlines to minimise disruption but passengers should check the status of their flight with their airline.”
Patches of thick fog could reduce visibility to just 100 metres in some areas, the Met Office said.
Brighter skies for some on Sunday, but heavy rain for others.
Find out all the details for the second half of the weekend below 👇 pic.twitter.com/CH6fgft6Bu
— Met Office (@metoffice) December 28, 2024
A spokesperson for easyJet said: “Due to ongoing poor weather conditions resulting in air traffic control restrictions and delays at London Gatwick today, some flights this evening are now unable to operate as planned.
“We are doing all we can to minimise the impact of the weather for our customers, providing options to rebook or a refund for cancelled flights, as well as hotel accommodation and meals where required.
“We advise customers due to travel to and from London Gatwick today to check our Flight Tracker for the latest information on their flight.
“The safety and wellbeing of our customers and crew is our highest priority and while this is outside of our control, we are very sorry for the inconvenience caused by the weather.”
Among those affected by cancellations over the past few days were a couple who have been forced to prolong their Christmas visit to family on the Isle of Man by two days.
Kiera Quayle, from Colchester, Essex, was due to fly from Isle of Man Airport to Gatwick on Friday evening with her husband after visiting his family but their flight was delayed by three hours before finally being cancelled at around 10pm, with the next one not available until Sunday.
“Our five days has turned to seven, it looks like,” Mrs Quayle, 30, told the PA news agency.
“It’s frustrating and stressful but I overheard a few families who are now missing holidays and work who have it worse at this point.”
Passengers on flights delayed for more than two hours may be entitled to assistance, including food and drink or overnight accommodation if necessary.
